News about Korean new media such as Internet and mobile tech but also on conventional media such as TV, radio, film and newspapers. Purpose of this blog is to function as reference material for a research project (2006-2009) on Korean media and new media, a part of the OED research group and funded by HS Foundation (see: Affiliations). Special thanks to research assistant Katja Heinonen who took care of the blog in 2007-2008.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

For the third consecutive year, Korea has come in third in the world in terms of IT penetration.

According to the 2007 White Paper on Informatization of Korea released by the Ministry of Information and Communications and National Information Society Agency on Wednesday (Aug.1), Korea ranked third for usage of information technology among 50 nations in the world, recording a score of 91 on a scale of 100.

Korea will use state-of-the-art technology to build a "smart highway" that can allow cars to travel safely at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour, the government said Thursday (Aug. 2).

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"Money will be used to draw up blueprints for the road, develop new pavement materials, design interchanges and build road-related structures," a official said. He added that information technology (IT) will be incorporated into the system that will update drivers on the flow of traffic and help them avoid accidents. IT will play a critical role in the road's safety.

Korea tops the list of Internet use within the Asia-Pacific region, according to statistics released by a U.S.-based Internet research firm earlier this week.

ComScore, a company which provides marketing data and services to many of the Internet's largest businesses, placed Korea at No. 1 on a list of Asia-Pacific countries as defined by Internet use. The May study was limited to those age 15 or older and found 26.3 million Koreans, or 65% of the population, to be Internet literate.

Korea will host an international science conference that is expected to spur a global exchange among experts and bridge the gap between the latest technology and everyday social issues, organizers for the event said Thursday (July 5).

Consumers try two-way interactive television called Internet protocol television (IPTV) during a show in Seoul on Wednesday (July 4). KT launched "pre-IPTV service" which excludes real-time broadcasting.

LG Electronics Inc. said Wednesday (June 20) it has launched sales of a third-generation (3G) mobile phone model in European markets which incorporates diverse mobile services of the world's largest search engine Google Inc.

The 3G phone model, LG-KU580, designed to allow multimedia features including video calling, will provide Google's "on-the-go" search, e-mail and map services in Italy, France and Germany, LG Electronics said.

Korea is to hold an international meeting this week to provide a chance for the world’s IT experts to exchange opinions on a new Internet protocol designed to increase the number of available Internet addresses, officials said Wednesday (June 13).

Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. is quickly expanding its presence in the North American market for plasma display panel (PDP) TVs, threatening the market prowess long held by its Japanese rival Panasonic Corp., industry sources said Thursday (June 7).

How about a museum of traditional culture equipped only with digital gadgets instead of relics?

A Traditional Culture Contents Museum, the first museum in Korea to showcase Korea's past history through digital means opened in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) on Wednesday (July 25).

The Korean Film Council, the country's film promotion agency, opened a U.S. office in Los Angeles Saturday (June 30) to help homegrown movies and film industry figures advance to Hollywood, the agency said.

The Government Information Agency to reveal plans to penalize journalists who do not follow the 'news embargo'

The Korea TimesTuesday, August 7, 2007By Kim Yon-se

The Roh Moo-hyun administration is moving to take disciplinary measures against journalists and their companies that do not abide by the 'news embargo' set by government offices.The Government Information Agency (GIA) Tuesday unveiled a plan to implement it as early as next month.

Journalists who violated the embargo will be banned from interviewing public officials for a certain period. The government will also stop offering press releases to their companies.Furthermore, journalists who fail to participate in at least one of five news briefings a week, hosted by a ministry, will be banned from visiting the government office.After the plan was unveiled, criticism from the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and scholars followed.

'The Roh Moo-hyun administration should drop its policy to control the media under his haughty and arbitrary attitude,' the GNP said in a statement."

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

KBS WORLD:"Subway Passengers Can Enjoy Online GamesPassengers are able to enjoy online games without charge on the circular subway Line 2 in Seoul from Aug. 6 to 19. A city official said that the subway authorities have placed 12 laptop computers each in the third and eighth cars of one of the latest model trains, which is running from east to west from 11 a.m. 'til 5 p.m. during the period. However, the train will not be available on Aug 9, 13 and 16."

KBS WORLD NEWS 2007-08-06 "President Roh Moo-hyun’s landslide victory in the 2002 election highlighted the great influence of the Internet, feeding much speculation that the Web would become one of the most important media in future elections. "

Internet-based banking transactions in Korea increased 6.4 percent in the second quarter from three months earlier as more people went online for financial transactions, the central bank said Monday (July 30).

In a bid to enhance its presence in the wider Chinese market, LG Electronics has launched a new version of its Shine phone designed with actor Andy Lau.

LG on Monday released the Shine x Andy Lau Special Edition phone, complete with the actor's own handwriting. Inscribed on the back of the phone in the actor's calligraphy is his motto: "Heaven is where the kind hearted people are."

At 10 a.m. the following day, the ministry held a press conference and announced the suspension of inspections of U.S. beef after the discovery of a vertebral column. By then the ministry had refused to answer reporters' requests to confirm the fact -- which the ministry had confirmed to itself -- for 14 hours. That's how long it took to deliver accurate information to the public.

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Despite public opposition, the government went ahead with its plan to merge the briefing rooms at government agencies and ban access to government officials. "Don't worry," it told us in the meantime, "we'll disclose as much information as possible." But in light of this latest situation, it seems clear that the government has decided to disclose only the information that it wants to reveal.

With his new monster flick “D-war”, director Shim Hyung-rae has created a box-office sensation. ...

But with success has come controversy over quality and marketing strategy. Leesong Hee-il, the director of “No Regret”, has issued a challenge on his website titled “To blind fans of director Shim Hyung-rae.” His comments are cutting. “D-war is not a movie,” he writes. “It’s like a successful imitation of U.S. toasters assembled in Cheonggyecheon in the 1970s.”

He also criticized the “D-war” marketing strategy, which is heavy on appeals to viewers’ patriotism. Leesong says Shim is milking emotions for all they’re worth by putting the famous traditional Korean song “Arirang” at the end of the movie and talking about his passion and past hardships on every TV show.

The “blind” fans were quick to reply, bombarding the blog with such a stream of counterattacks, some full of verbal abuse, that it has now been closed. An article on the story on an Internet portal site had no fewer than 13,600 replies as of 4 p.m. on Sunday. Inevitably, advance ticket sales for “D-war” surged by 10 percent, online ticket agency Maxmovie said.

Demand especially among parents for mobile phones without a wireless Internet function is surging, but the service providers stand accused of failing to meet it. Lee Sung-young, a homemaker from Seoul’s Jamsil said, “My son in middle school used to play wireless Internet games on his mobile phone, and the bill for the games was over W120,000 (US$1=W923). I wanted to replace his phone with one without a wireless Internet feature, but it’s very inconvenient since that means changing the mobile service provider and there are few handsets available.

Many parents these days are replacing their children's cell phones with handsets that cannot connect to the Internet. Such was the case with a housewife I met at a cell phone store over the weekend. "I got a bill for W130,000 (US$1=W923) for my kid's cell phone. The monthly charge was over W50,000 even when we subscribed to a discount package for juveniles. Later I found out why. My kid was mostly playing games on the wireless Internet, a function of the newest phones."

Playing Internet games on a cell phone costs a lot more than just making calls and sending text messages, because you have to pay for the wireless Internet service and to download the games. According to a consumer group survey, children and teenagers in Seoul on average pay W38,414 a month in cell phone fees. That's even more than adults, who pay W38,226. Even though kids get juvenile discounts, their volume of wireless Internet use means they don't save much from the discounts.

Netizens flock to movie fan-sites in support of Shim Hyung-rae and South Korean film industry

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“D-War” is particularly gaining popularity with fans on the Internet. Every day, thousands of new visitors become members of several Internet Web sites for fans of “D-War.” The fans have been posting exuberant messages to support both Shim and his movie. Some analysts say that people have sympathy and support for Shim because of his personal background.

A passenger surfs the Internet on a subway train in Seoul on Aug. 6. Wireless Internet service on subway cars will be provided temporarily by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to celebrate the Seoul International e-Sports Festival, which runs from August 9-12.